Electrically controlled mechanism for detecting leaks in cylindrical cans or containers



Oct. 6, 1931. zucH 1,826,589

ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR DETECTING LEAKS IN CYLINDRICAL CANS on cou'mmrms Filed Jan. 30. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -|'NVENTOR Oct. 6, 1931. H. A. ZUCH 1,826,589

ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR DETECTING LEAKS IN CYLINDRICAL CANS OR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 30. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 6, 193i HARRY A. Z'UOH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

mormcauv commons MECHANISM; FOR DETEO TING LEAKS HT O'YIJJEDBIGAI:

CANS OR CONTAINERS Application filed January 30, 1928. Serial No. 250,682.

This invention relates to electrically controlled mechanism for detecting leaks in cylindrical cans'or containers, and has for an object particularly the detection of leaks in cans or containers such as are customarily used for the preservation of foodstuffs and the like. The term can or cans used herein will be understood to refer to containers of various sorts, in the testing of which this 10 apparatus might be found useful.

Another object, is to provide such a mechanism which will operate automatically and electrically so as to pick out from the series of cans to be tested those which are bulging at the ends.

Another object is nism in which a solenoid is energized or not according to the condition of the particular can bein tested.

A furt er object is to provide certain improvements in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts whereby the above named and other objects may effectively be attained.

in the canning of foodstuifs and the like it is an accepted practice to create at least a partial vacuum in the cans and it is considered important that this vacuum be maintained, for the better preservation of the material in the cans. Following the sealing of the filled cans it is customary to place them under high pressure in order to force air into the-can through any leak which may exist therein; upon then exposiugthem to atmospheric pressure the high pressure in the leaky cans will cause them to bulge, so that they may be detected and thrown out. The apparatus shown and described herein serves to select mechanically and electrically these defective and bulging cans.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which radially of the apparatus, along'the plane C-C of- 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; parts being shown iii elevation, and parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 represents a face viewof the appato provide such a mecha- Flg. '1 represents a sectional view taken ratus looking in the direction of the arrows B-B of Fig. 1; parts being broken away.

Fig. 2a represents a detail elevation of a portion of the apparatus lookin in the direction of the arrows A-A of ig. 1; parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 represents a detail elevation of another portion of the apparatus, showing diagrammatically an arrangement for receiving at different points the good or bad cans after being tested.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the apparatus includes a disc or web (2 having a hub b and provided, near its outer edge, with an annular flange from which project teeth 0 adapted to receive and hold in position a series of cans h k to be tested. In the outer edge of the web a at a point opposite each space between adjacent teeth 0 is mounted a contact plug (1, supported in the center of a rectangular rocker plate (1 lhe rocker plate 03 is provided with stabiliz- 1ng contact plug bolts e and 6 and the plate is held in place by bolts f which fit into holes in the top and bottom thereof, so as to permit a slight oscillation of the plate about the bolts fas an axis. Stops d and d, are provided in order to limit the extent of the movement just referred to, and a cover adapted to bridge the s ace between adjacent portions of the web e ge and to carry one of the bolts g, is shown as.

To the inner surface of the annular flange bearing the teeth 0 is bolted a block m adapted to support the solenoid block Z and solenoid Z. Hollow fingers or holders 9, which may concain coil springs Z are mounted on lever arm m which is bolted to the laminated lower jaw portion on pivotally supported at 41 so that that the solenoid Z may act to move said fingers 9 into or out of tangential en-' gagement with thecans h, 6 It will be understood that the'fingers g pro'ect through slits or other apertures in the ange and in teeth 0 in order to be operative for the purpose stated. The jaw m may be normally held in a retracted position by means of the sprin 0 attached to a bolt 0 on the side of we a, and the extent of its movement may secured to said portions by I fixed annular cam 'v.

be limited by means of an adjustment screw n, or the lik I A bracket k is secured to the web a by bolts roller t which bears continuously against a The cam 42 is formed so as to move the inner end of the. rocker-arm v in such a manner that the outer end will be held against the end of the can during that art of its travel immediately precedin its delivery, and until the desired point 0 release is reached. The spring 2' serves to give the bolt 2' a degree of resiliency suficicnt to safeguard the apparatus against injury in case of undue resistance by a can end, while not interfering with the positive action of the bolt in all normal cases. I

On the hub b is mounted a disc as which may be of fiber and metal and is provided '1 with a suitable number of copper contact ieces m arranged at selected points thereon. ach piece m is provided with a binding post m or m and the disc :2: may be secured to the hub b by means of a screw w or the like. On the shaft-casing adjacent the hub b is mounted a fixed disc to similar to disc :0 but provided with a short arcuate conducting element 'w andan annular conducting element 'w having binding posts a. and 4.0 respectivel .The disc w may be secured in position upon or adjacent to a pillow-block u by means of a screw 20 or the l1ke.

While only one solenoid, rocker-arm, etc.,

is shown and described herein it will be understood that each can-containing space (between adjacent teeth a) is provided with an identical set of parts which function in an identical manner, as hereinabove set forth.

The outer series of contact pieces :0 includes one for each solenoid, while there is but a single inner contact piece. The latter is directly grounded from the binding post :2 to the hub of the a paratus, whereas the form er are connected y wiring Z each to its own solenoid. Current is supplied to the binding posts 20,, and 'w.,, whence is it con"- ducted to'the elements, w and 'w in contact with the pieces m The solenoid circuit is completed through the wiring Z contact plug d when this plug comes in contact with the end of a can h and through the can to ground. It will be understood that the plug (2 and bolt 6 may be very finely adjusted so that a good can will not be ushed against the contact plug 01 while a silg tly bulged can will be sufficiently longer so that it will touchthe contact plug, completing the solenoid circuit to energize the solenoid which moves the fingers 9 into tangential engagement with masses;

ducted away as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 3. Each solenoid is subject to being energized only during the time that its articular contact piece a is in contact wlth the arcuate conducting element w The hub b is shown keyed to its shaft 2 and secured by a set screw 8. The shaft may be driven from a suitable source 0t.- ower in a manner readily understood, and t e apparatus shown may be run at a speed suficient to handle as many as 700 to 800 'cans per minute, in a small machine.

' the can. This action is timed to talre place I The operation of this apparatus will be apparent from the foregoing description but it may convenientlyv be summarized as folows: j

The filled cans-to be tested are fed by any well known conveying-means to the teeth 0 carried by the disc or web a,-one can being fed into the space between each two adjacent teeth. At the point where the cans are thus supplied to the teeth, thefingers g are being held out of the,way by sprlngso, and the bolts z are being held away. from the cans by means of springs 10 in conjunction with the cam v. The cans are carried around by the rotation of thedisc a until they have reached a point such as that indicated at 03 (Fig. 3). At about this point the roller 't on rocker-arm 7' reaches the protruding or high portion of cam 0 and is thereby moved out so that the outer end of the rocker-arm is moved toward the can. The bolt 11 contacts with the end of the can and moves the can toward the contact plug d; the extent of this movement may be accurately determined by means of cam 'v and bolt '2, and the adjustment should be such that a good can will not quite reach .and touch the contact plug d, w ereas a slightly bulging (defective) can will contact with said plug. The wiring of the apparatus is such that the solenoid circuit may be completed 'by the cont-act of a can end with the contact plug d (the can being grounded by its contactwith the apparatus). The time during which the bolt z is held against the can corresponds with the time during which current may reach the particular solenoid,

in question through the contact of its contact piece m with the arcuate conducting element 'w This period is determined to be at and preceding. the point of delivery for good cans it, it being understood that such cans do not touch contact plug 0!, do not cause the solenoid to beenergized,'and so are free to be delivered by gravity onto an upper delivery are shelf or the like, as shown in Fig. 3. A defective can 71 however, completes the solenoid circuit and causes the fingers g to engage its sides, whereby it is held against gravity, carried past the upper delivery shelf and deposited at a lower point (Fig, 3), after the circuit has been broken by the passage of the scribed comprising, a conveyor for cans to be tested, means for receiving cans from the conveyor at a plurality of points, electrically actuated holding means carried by the.

conveyor for retaining certain cans on the conveyor longer than other cans, and contact means cooperating with the ends of the cans in accordance with the shape thereof for controlling the operation. of said electrically-actuated holding means. I

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a conveyor for cans to be tested, means for receiving cans from the conveyor at a plurality of points, electrically actuated fingers carried by the conveyor for retaining selected cans on the conveyor, and contact means cooperating with the ends of the cans in accordance with the shape thereof for controllin the actuation of the fingers, said means including the cans to be retained.

3. An apparatus of the character de- I scribed comprising, a conveyor for cans to be tested, means for receiving cans from the conveyor at a plurality of points, intermittently actuated mechanical means for positioning each can axially on the conveyor, electrically actuated fingers for retaining selected cans on the conveyor, and contact means for controlling the actuation of the fingers, said means including the cans to be retained.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a conveyor for cans to be tested, means for receiving cans from the conveyor at a plurality of points, acam adjacent the conveyor, a rocker-arm carried by the conveyor and intermittently actuated by the cam for positioning each can axially on the conveyor, electrically actuated fingers carried by the conveyors for retaining selected cans on the conveyor, and contact means for controlling the actuation 9f the fingers, said means including the cansto be retained.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a solenoid can-retaining fingers adapted to be moved into operative position b the solenoid, and a solenoid circuit, said clrcuit including the solenoid coil, a contact plug, and the can to be tested, whereby the contact of the can against the plug will serve to close the circuit, energize the solenoid and move the fingers into 0 erative osition.

In testimony that claim t e foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of January, 1928.

HARRY A. ZUCH. 

